AFRICOM’S DILEMMA: THE “GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM,” “CAPACITY BUILDING,” HUMANITARIANISM, AND THE FUTURE OF U.S. SECURITY POLICY IN AFRICA

Africa is a continent of growing economic, social,
political, and geostrategic importance. It is also a continent of
overwhelming poverty, rampant disease, chronic instability,
and terrorist activity. The establishment of a new Combatant
Command for Africa—AFRICOM—marks an important
milestone in the evolution of relations between the United
States and the governments of Africa. Through AFRICOM,
the U.S. Department of Defense will consolidate the efforts
of three existing command headquarters as it seeks a more
stable environment for political and economic growth in
Africa. In line with this goal, AFRICOM is pioneering a
bold new method of military engagement focused on war
prevention, interagency cooperation, and development
rather than on traditional warfighting.
In this monograph, Robert Berschinski contends
that in order to significantly benefit the African security
landscape, AFRICOM must depart from the model
of U.S. military operations on the continent since
September 11, 2001. Using case studies, he argues that by
amalgamating threats, overemphasizing “hard” counterterrorism
initiatives, and intertwining military operations
with humanitarianism, AFRICOM’s predecessors have
harmed U.S. strategic interests. In line with this conclusion,
he offers policy recommendations to maximize AFRICOM’s
potential for future success.